Urban Education Doctoral Program

The Urban Education Doctoral Program is offered through the School of Education as an interdepartmental program designed to prepare scholars to study, research, and analyze contemporary educational issues within urban contexts at all levels.

The mission of the program is to prepare basic and applied researchers and research practitioners to work in a variety of urban settings and contribute to the improvement of urban education locally and globally. At the time of application for admission to the UEDP, students must choose a transcript designated specialization.

There are more than 80 faculty members involved in this doctoral program representing many diverse disciplines. Faculty maintain active research and publication records, serve as editors of journals, sit on editorial review boards, are principal investigators on many extramurally funded projects, and regularly present at national and international conferences.

Specializations

Adult, Continuing and Higher Education Leadership

This specialization is committed to the development of reflective administrative practitioners and leaders of a wide variety of urban organizations. These include post-secondary institutions (e.g. comprehensive colleges and universities, vocational and technical schools, and two-year centers, health care organizations, business and industry organizations, community agencies, religious organizations, and others. Doctoral students receive research-based preparation to fill several roles within these organizations such as Professor and Scholar, Administrative/Manager, Program Planner/Developer, Instructor/Trainer, Consultant, Counselor, and others.

The specialization in Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) gives students an opportunity to improve professional experiences with the students they teach, the educational contexts in which they work, and their disciplinary and content knowledge. The Curriculum and Instruction specialization combines theoretical and disciplinary content knowledge, practical experiences and scholarly activities.

The program prepares education professionals to work in such varied settings as schools, colleges and universities, school district central offices, government agencies, community organizations and private consulting. Graduates of the program are prepared for leadership roles as curriculum directors, instructional coordinators, school partnership coordinators, applied researchers, professional development coordinators and professors.

The specialization in Educational Administration focuses on the development of educational leaders, particularly for service in urban metropolitan areas. Individuals trained in this program can provide excellence in leadership by nurturing leadership among others in the school community, creating a positive work environment for students, staff, and parents, and lastly contribute to the quality of teaching and learning in the district and within its schools. The curriculum draws from a variety of sources including current research and literature, national and state professional association standards, federal and state governmental guidelines, and the field of practice.

Emphasizing collaborative work between students and faculty, the Exceptional Education specialization examines and addresses critical issues in the field within the urban context. Focus areas include: Teacher education, cultural diversity in education, early childhood intervention, assistive technology, curriculum accommodation & collaboration, literacy, transition to young adulthood, deaf education, school reform and special education administration.

In addition to advanced coursework, students participate in research and development projects, curriculum development, co-teaching, and other activities designed to prepare leaders for roles such as college or university professor, curriculum leader, special education administrator, consultant, or project director.

Multicultural Studies is a fully interdepartmental specialization, offering a unique program of studies with an emphasis on integrating intercultural theory and practice in urban educational and community settings. Enhanced by study in anthropology, history and sociology, students gain depth and breadth in a dynamic specialization that prepares one for the unique challenges of the 21st century. Specialization Information

Social Foundations of Education

The Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the social forces that affect urban schools and communities. This program is designed for individuals who want to look deeply at the challenges facing urban areas in the 21st Century and are willing to explore creative solutions. Students in Social Foundations examine the sociological, historical, philosophical, anthropological, and political dimensions of schools and community change. Social foundations doctoral students may investigate issues and contexts grounded in the core disciplines of the social sciences.

How To Apply

All applicants must meet both the minimum Graduate School requirements and the minimum Urban Education Doctoral Program requirements. Some materials must be sent directly to the Graduate School while other materials must be sent directly to the Urban Education Doctoral Program (UEDP). Below is information on the requirements and the specific materials that must be submitted for consideration of an applicant to both the Graduate School and the UEDP.

Graduate School Requirements and Materials

1. Degree

A Bachelor’s degree is required.

2. Grade Point Average (GPA)

A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 is required. If you have repeated any coursework, this calculation includes both attempts in your repeated coursework.

Submission of scores on the General Test portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. Applications will not be considered complete without GRE scores. An official copy of your GRE scores should be sent to the Graduate School (Institution Code 1473 for the paper-based test). Scores that are more than five years old will not be considered. The GRE must be taken before completing the graduate school application. More information on the GRE can be found on the Educational Testing Service website.

5. Transcripts

Submit one official transcript directly to the Graduate School from each undergraduate and graduate school attended. If you attended UWM as an undergraduate, the Graduate School will obtain transcripts from the Undergraduate Records Office.

6. Reasons Statement

An essential part of your application, the Reasons Statement is used to determine the appropriateness of your educational and professional goals and serves as an example of your ability to express yourself in writing. In the statement:

A $56 base application fee is required of all applicants, and an additional evaluation fee is required for applicants with college-level work from non-U.S. colleges. If you are applying to a doctoral program and already hold a UWM master’s degree, you do not need to pay the application fee.

Applicants must have an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 and a Masters GPA of 3.5.

2. Recommendations

The applicant must have a minimum of three appropriate persons submit letters of recommendation. These letters should comment meaningfully and knowledgeably on the likelihood that you can successfully complete the advanced scholarly program of studies that is required for the Ph.D. degree. At least one reference must be from an academic source. Be sure references are as recent as possible and be sure to select people who can comment with confidence on your academic qualifications. In addition, students should complete the Letter of Recommendation Request Form (DOC).

Letters of Recommendation Request Forms and the letter of recommendation must be forwarded directly by the writer to the Urban Education Doctoral Program.

3. Writing Sample

Applicants must submit a writing sample completed within the last five years. The writing sample must be single authored, at least 1500 words, and must be selected from ONE of the following options:

Master’s Thesis

Undergraduate Senior Thesis

Technical Reports

Term Paper

Publication

Written Description of Project

Action Research Project

A 5-10 page response to the following question: How would you go about determining and evaluating ethical issues in urban education?

The response to this question must show evidence of appropriate references to a knowledge base.

Send UEDP Materials To:

Financial Support

Students admitted into the Urban Education Doctoral Program (UEDP) are eligible to compete for a variety of types of financial aid. Applicants are also eligible to apply, pending acceptance.

Graduate Assistantships

The School of Education has several graduate assistantship positions available each year. Project assistantships are positions working with faculty and departments on administrative and/or research projects. A small number of teaching assistantships have students conducting and supporting classroom instruction.

Graduate assistant (GA) positions carry a stipend and typically also tuition remission. Please see the Stipends and Benefits section for information on the benefits included with graduate assistantships.

Graduate School Fellowships

UEDP students are also eligible to apply for Graduate School Fellowships. These fellowships provide recipients with a monthly stipend for the academic year, coverage of in-state tuition and remission of out-of-state tuition. For more information the kinds of fellowships available please visit the Graduate School Fellowship page.

Graduate Student Travel Award

The Graduate School Travel Support program offers partial funding doctoral students for presenting scholarly and creative works at conferences, performances, or exhibitions. Such activities are an important part of the professional development of graduate students, offering opportunities to establish professional networks, contacts for collaborative research, and sources of potential future employment. For more information on eligibility, travel guidelines, and selection processes please visit the Graduate School’s webpage.

The School of Education offers a variety of scholarship opportunities. Scholarships typically range from $500 to full tuition. For more information including scholarship eligibility and application deadlines visit the School of Education Scholarships web page.

Financial Aid

For information on financial aid and to fill out a FAFSA application, please visit the UWM Department of Financial Aid web site. Services provided include information on grants, loans, student employment, military benefits, and the Life Impact Program.

For Current Students & Advisors

The purpose of the plan of studies is to assist you in carefully planning and executing a coherent program of coursework. You may use the Plan of Studies as a planning document in dialogue with your advisor. You must submit to the UEDP office a completed plan of studies by the fourth semester after being admitted to the Doctoral Program.

This form must be completed when a doctoral committee is comprised of two or more members that are from a different department than the specialization that you are enrolled in or if the external members are from a different institution other than the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Doctoral preliminary examinations, or “prelims,” as they are commonly called, are designed to assess a doctoral candidate’s mastery of subject knowledge and application skills, and ensure adequate preparation for individual dissertation research. The Application for Preliminary Examinations must be completed after all coursework is complete. Students must complete the electronic Application for the Doctoral Preliminary Examination, located in the online Doctoral Milestones System, found by clicking the link above.

The Application for Dissertator Status must be completed after Preliminary Examinations have successfully been completed. Students must complete the electronic Application for Dissertator Status, located in the online Doctoral Milestones System, found by clicking the link above.

Note: Students in programs such as ACHEL, Educational Administration, and Social Foundations of Education that combine the Preliminary Examinations and Proposal Hearing must fill out this form after completing their proposal hearing.

The Application for Dissertation Proposal Hearing must be completed when the student has scheduled the defense of their dissertation proposal. Students must complete the electronic Application for Dissertation Proposal Hearing form, located in the online Doctoral Milestones System, found by clicking the link above.

The Application for the Doctoral Dissertation Defense and Graduation form must be completed one month prior to the final defense of the student’s dissertation is held. Students must also adhere to graduation deadlines set by the university by applying for graduation using PAWS. Graduation Application deadlines can be found on the Graduate School’s Graduation Dates & Deadlines webpage.